Felli Eyes Old Trafford Repeat

Marouane Fellaini insists it is important Everton maintain their place alongside the Premier League pace-setters by wrestling more points off Manchester United this Sunday.

The 25-year-old has taken centre stage in the Blues’ last two encounters against the current Premier League leaders, most recently in August when he capped a hugely influential performance with the only goal of the game.

And in the corresponding fixture at Old Trafford last season – a stunning 4-4 draw – Fellaini was also amongst the scorers as Everton struck twice late on to inflict a mortal wound upon United’s title hunt.

Fellaini’s immediate concern is the midweek friendly against Slovakia, for which he is reportedly an injury doubt, but as soon as he returns to English soil, attention is firmly switched back to club commitments.

The midfielder sat out of training with his national team in the early part of this week but could still feature in Bruges later this evening.

“First I look forward for Belgium and after we will see (what happens) against Manchester United,” Fellaini told evertontv.

“Every game against Manchester United is a good game. It’s a big challenge but everyone wants to play Champions League so it is important to keep going and win every game.”

Fellaini took his tally for the season to 10 league goals in the draw with Aston Villa at the weekend, a result he believes could turn out to be significant come the end of the season.

“It’s difficult to win when you make a mistake but Everton have good spirit and try to win every game at home. It was a good point,” he added.

“Every game I try to give my maximum and to score goals. It’s not just me – the players and supporters help, everything is important.”